The focus of the conference will be: "How do we develop and maintain interest in science among students?"

It is a common observation that science is one of the most popular subjects with young school children.

Nearly every child finds simple science experiments fascinating. Yet, by the age of 15 or 16, many children have lost enthusiasm for science, or developed a positive dislike for the subject.

This session will deal with a number of issues related to ''urning students on" to science, among them:

What are we doing wrong that turns teenagers off science?

What can we do to encourage students to pursue science careers and maintain their interest in the subject?

What can be learned from Science courses for nonscientists? There are many examples of such courses flourishing at Universities. What does the success of these courses tell us about how to maintain interest at the school level? How can a University-level course restore interest in science that may have been lost at school?

Is science inherently and unavoidably dull? If not, why don't our students appreciate its fascination?

Are alternative teaching schemes and syllabi, such as the Salter's scheme in the UK, more successful at retaining interest in science? Can we adjust the course content or teaching style to enhance interest without diminishing the academic worth of a course?

Is a science education essential for ALL students? If so, can we provide that with the current approaches? If not, how can the non-scientifically literate be meaningfully involved in scientific decision-making?

Would teaching science using the World Wide Web encourage more students to develop a scientific interest?

Papers will present research results, or be more personal reports of what does or (does not) work at school or university level. Papers are from those in school or college environments.

The final program is not presently available but the session will be broken into four sections. Each section will focus discussion on particular areas.